Thousands flee as Pakistan pounds rebels

Thousands fled Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area yesterday as air force jets pummelled militant positions after four days of clashes left almost 250 dead.

The fighting began after an army convoy was ambushed on Saturday near the town of Mir Ali. Residents of the town, which has a reputation as a Taliban and al-Qaida stronghold, fled the fighting in cars and tractors and on foot.

"The area is still tense," Major General Waheed Arshad, a spokesman for the Pakistani military, told the Guardian. "There have been a lot of clashes - intense clashes - where almost 200 militants and 45 soldiers have lost their lives."

Caught between the militants and the military, civilians have also suffered considerable losses, Talat Masood, a military analyst and former lieutenant general, said. "The local population has often been supportive of [the militants], even if it is by force, but they are the main sufferers here," he said.

"We don't have any place to live," a villager, Mohammad Anwar, told Reuters. "We have sent our children to other areas because children are scared that the bombing could start again."

A Mir Ali resident, Sher Khan, said nearly all of his neighbours had left.

"The main bazaar is sealed by the army. All shops are closed. We have nothing to eat. That's why I have sent my family to Bannu."

Having called in air strikes, the military said it was gaining the upper hand. "We have taken some very strong steps against the militants recently, checking their freedom of movement and stopping their extortion and kidnapping activities," said Gen Arshad.

Many soldiers have been kidnapped, often dozens at a time.

Reports that soldiers' bodies were found with their throats slashed during recent clashes have added to the tension.

"The conflict is escalating because of the way the militants have been treating their [military] captives and because they have been ambushing the convoys of the military," Mr Masood said.

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